Try it before you pick it
Camps, clubs and mentor programs in Detroit and around Michigan where kids design, build and meet the people who shape neighborhoods. Sorted by age, with cost and season.
Ages 6 to 10
Grades 1 to 5. Start curious.DAPCEP summer STEM camps
Hands-on engineering and science camps for Detroit kids, plus Saturday programs in fall and spring for grades 4 to 12. DAPCEP has helped Detroit students into engineering for more than 40 years.
Visit DAPCEPBuilt With Love camp
A free three-day camp on science, design and entrepreneurship, held in July at the LOVE Building on Grand River. Younger kids come in the morning, older kids in the afternoon.
See camp detailsThe free Ribbonfield activity pack
Coloring pages, a design-your-block sheet and the "Who decided this?" neighborhood walk. A great start before any camp.
Get the activity packAges 11 to 13
Middle school. Try it out.NOMA Detroit Project Pipeline Camp
A week-long architecture camp led by NOMA Detroit, the local chapter of the national group of minority architects. Kids design and build alongside architects and architecture students at Detroit Mercy.
See Detroit Mercy summer campsFuture City Competition
Teams design a city of the future, build a scale model from recycled materials and present it to engineer judges. Teams meet about an hour a week with a teacher and a volunteer mentor.
Start or join a teamSummer Youth Programs
Week-long college-campus programs in engineering and science. Scholarships are available, including one for Detroit students that covers up to $1,300 plus transportation.
Browse programsConstruction Summer Camp
Kids try carpentry, plumbing, concrete and other trades with real builders, and visit live job sites. Sessions fill fast.
See camp detailsAges 14 to 18
High school. Get serious.ACE Mentor Program
Teams meet weekly with architects, engineers and builders from local firms, design a practice project together, and tour job sites and offices. Seniors can apply for ACE scholarships.
Register as a studentSmithGroup Exploring Post
Workshops on architecture, interiors, lighting, landscape and every kind of engineering, led by the people who do the work. Join at any time during the year. Seniors who attend every workshop may qualify for a scholarship.
Get workshop datesMichigan Design Sessions: Detroit
Hands-on architecture workshops hosted at museums, libraries and parks in Detroit's Cultural District, ending in a public exhibition. Open to any high school student in Southeast Michigan.
Join the mailing listMichigan Architecture Prep
Workshops with U-M faculty, plus visits to building sites and architecture offices. Principals at participating Detroit high schools choose students with a 2.5 GPA or better.
Ask your principal or counselorArcStart
A three-week, live-in architecture studio on U-M's campus, ending with a portfolio. Need-based scholarships are available. Applications usually open in January.
See dates and aidLawrence Tech summer camps
College summer camps for teens, with options in architecture and design, engineering and robotics. Meals are included and financial aid is available.
See campsPre-college pipelines
Intro to Architecture days twice a year with current students and alumni, shadow days, and a high school internship at the Detroit Collaborative Design Center.
See optionsRandolph Career and Technical Center
Detroit's construction trades center for high school students, with carpentry, electrical, HVAC and other building trades programs.
Learn how to enrollMiCareerQuest Southeast
A huge hands-on career expo for high school students from six counties, with interactive exhibits from real employers. Construction is one of the four main areas.
Ask your school counselor about attendingMany programs are free, and the rest have aid
Watson A. Young Scholarship
Helps Michigan students from families earning under $125,000 a year attend U-M pre-college programs like ArcStart. Reviewed on a rolling basis.
See how to applySimpson-Buday Legacy Catalyst Scholarship
For Detroit Public Schools and Detroit Prep students applying to Michigan Tech's engineering summer programs. Covers up to $1,300 of a live-in program plus round-trip transportation.
See Michigan Tech scholarshipsNo cost to join
ACE Mentor and the Built With Love camp are free. Michigan Architecture Prep works through Detroit high schools, so ask your school about cost.
Tips for signing up
Most summer camps open registration between January and March, and the free ones fill first.
Almost every paid program has aid. Ask before you decide it costs too much.
Future City, ACE and some U-M programs run through schools. A teacher or counselor can help your child join.
Photos of camp projects are a great start to a design portfolio later on.
Keep planning
Programs checked in October 2026 on each organization's website. Dates and costs shown are from 2026, and most programs post next year's details in winter or spring. Always confirm with the program before you register. Know a program we should add? Tell us on our contact page.